Railway signaling system.



A. c. MATH BR.

RAILWAY SIGNALING SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED JULY 3, 1907.

Patenfiad Dec. 13,1910.-

R. m E W m M n W k Altorney Till Remus rzrlls co., wunma'rau, u. c.

ALONZO C. MATHER. OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RAILWAY SIGNALING SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 13, 1910.

Application filed July 3, 1907. Serial No. 382,078.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALoNzo C. Ma'rnnn, a citizen of theUnited States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and. useful Improvements in Railway SignalingSystems of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in a railway signaling system andthe object of my .invention is to operate one or more signals locatedadjacent the tracks by a source of electrical current carried by thevehicle running upon the tracks; a further object of my invention is toprovide a system of wiring in which the tracks are used, with means uponthe vehicle to contact with said tracks and complete the circuit inwhich said signals are connected; a still further object of my inventionis to employ a third rail in the operation of my invention; a stillfurther object of my invention is to construct the signaling system sothat the signals will be in operation during the time the vehicle istraveling the cntlre distance of a certain signaling section of thetracks.

Referring to the drawing :F igure 1 is a plan View of the railway tracksillustrating my improved signaling system. Fig. 2 is a view similar toFig. 1 showing the parts carried by the vehicle in a different position;Fig. 3 is a side view of a locomotive showing the means employed formaking contact with the rails; Fig. 4 is an end View of Fig. 3; and,Fig. 5 is a detail view of a form r of electrical signal which may beused in carrying outmy invention.

In the drawing 1 and 2 are the main rails of the railway upon which thelocomotive or other vehicle carrying the source of current travels, and3 is a third rail extending parallel with said rails 1 and 2. Upon thelocomotive is provided means for making contact with the rails 1, 2 and3 consisting of wheels 4, 5 and 6 carried by arms 7 pivoted in bearings8 and adapted to be raised and lowered independently by hand levers 9which are connected with the said pivoted arms 7 by connecting-rods 10.

When the signaling system is in operation the wheel 5 is placed incontact with the third rail 3 and either the wheel 4 or the wheel 6 isplaced in contact with the track 2. If the locomotive is traveling inthe direction of the arrow, Fig. 1, the wheel 4: is used to make contactwith the rail 2, and if the locomotive is traveling in the reversedirection as indicated by the arrow, Fig. 2, the wheel 6 is used to makecontact with the rail 2. The rail 2 is insulated at the joints 12 and 13so that a certain section of the tracks may be used for the operation ofthe signals. This signaling section may extend a mile or any desireddistance.

The signals 15 and 16 are the usual form of electrically operatedsignals, and are preferably located at the ends of the signalingsection. The signal 15 is connected by a wire 17 with the third rail 3;the signal 16 is connected by a wire 18 with the main rail 2 and the twosignals are connected together by a wire 19.

The locomotive carries a source of electric current represented at 20 inFigs. 1 and 2. This source of current may be generated by a storagebattery, or by a dynamo driven by a small engine, steam turbine or by abelt or other connection with the traction wheels.

When the locomotive carrying the source of current runs into thesignaling section the wheel 5 is pressed down upon the third rail 5 andeither the wheel 4 or 6 which may be over the rail 2 is dcpressedto makecontact with the said rail 2, so that the circuit will be completed fromthe source of current upon the vehicle through the wheel 5 to the thirdrail 3 and from the third rail to the signal 15 through the wire 17 andoperate said signal. The current then continues through the wire 19 tothe signal 16 and operates it and then passes through the wire 18 to themain rail 2 from which it is picked up by the wheel t connected with thesource of current 20. It will be seen that the circuit will be completeand the signals held in operation during the time the vehicle istraveling the entire length of the signaling section, and. that thenecessity of having batteries or other source of current at each signalis avoided.

It will be understood that the contact wheels 4, 5 and 6 and the sourceof electrical current may be carried upon a car in place of thelocomotive as shown in the drawings.

My improved system of wiring may also be used to operate telegraph ortelephone instruments from the vehicle without departing from myinvention.

Having thus described my invention I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent 1. In an electric signal system the combination With mainrails, one of said rails being divided into sections, a third raildivided into sections corresponding to the sections of the said lastmentioned rail, electrically operated signal devices arranged along thetrack Way including a partial electric circuit, one terminal of Which isconnected to a section of the third rail andthe other terminal to acorresponding section of one of the track rails, in combination with atrain carried device including a current generator, a plurality oftrolleys, one pole of said current generator being connected to one ofsaid trolleys Which engages the said third rail and the other polethereof connected to a pair of said trolleys, and means for bringing oneor the other of said last mentioned trolleys into engagement with agiven section of a given track rail depending upon the direction of thetravel of the train.

2. In an electrical signaling system for an electric circuit includingone of said main rails, the said third rail, a conductor connecting saidmain rail with said third rail, a source of current, an electricallyoperated instrument, .a contact Wheel carried by said vehicle locatedabove said third rail, contact Wheels carried by said vehicle locatedabove each of said'ma'ln ra ls and means for bringing either one of saidlast,

mentioned contact Wheels into contact With the main rail 'Which isincluded in said electric circuit to complete the latter.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of tWo Witnesses.

ALONZO C. MATHER. Witnesses JAMES F. BoYLAN, M. R. OLEELAND.

